China Reporters Probing Bridge Disaster “Beaten” – Chris Buckley

Reuters reports that Chinese journalists covering a recent bridge collapse in Hunan were beaten by “local thugs.” Another report (in Chinese) on overseas news website Duowei.com revealed that those “thugs” are local Director of Agriculture Bureau and his staff. From Reuters:

The reporters were interviewing grieving families of those who died when the near-finished Fenghuang bridge, in the southern province of Hunan, fell into a heap of rubble. By late on Thursday, the number of known dead had reached 41 and was sure to rise as searchers accounted for dozens missing.

State television has trumpeted President Hu Jintao’s call for an inquiry into the accident and punishment of anyone culpable. But according to an Internet account backed by reporters involved, media seeking answers found they were far from welcome. [Full Text]